Are cuts and layoffs coming in Albany County?

Albany County Legislature Chairman Dan McCoy has put out the word — he doesn’t know if the votes are there, in the legislature, to override the state’s recommended 2 percent property tax cap. Cuts and layoffs could be coming.

36 Responses

cuts and layoffs are needed so Mc Coy can redue an office into upscale, and appoint his friends to high paying jobs, and then lie about military time as he took time off from the fire dept after lying to them to attend a party, and all of this as he isnt even sworn in yet,,WOW whats next?

Mike Breslin was right all along. The Albany County Nursing Home is an unjustifiable weight hung ’round the necks of Albany County taxpayers. Mr. McCoy was braying right along with the others about keeping the place open, but now he has to stand and deliver, and is singing a different tune. Life’s tougher when you get to wear the big boy pants.

If you look across the State every “County” home that is run via the County (and not privately) is and has been losing money. For years The County Exec told the Ledge to go there or to cut there, now its to the point where County employees across the board are at risk??
“We are not going to shut down our nursing home and send our elderly seniors and longtime Democrats out on the street,” “Democrats don’t do that….” CAUSE they vote and put you back into office….well now you have VOTERS you will TAX the hard working families and lay off those people?? Its all too little too late! Breslin warned the Ledge for years that this would happen….Now you all actually have to make a decision. Perhaps you should look at cuts across the board,…which would include the 39 of you…perhaps some of you should go…for good.

McCoy will make these cuts at the expense of the County workforce and residents and then hire his cronies and those he made promises to, redo his suite of offices, make sure those who gave $$ to his campaign get the County’s business and then next year at this time we will hear the same song different tune……business as usual

Breslin was and is right. The county has no business running a nursing home, and does so solely to provide jobs to the soldiers of the Party. Let a private entity run it, or better yet join forces with Rensselaer or Schenectady County and have one for both.

Consolidation is always in the abstract. Elmer’s comment make too much sense. McCoy will never lay anyone off. Brought to you unopposed by his union cronies. The 19% Countywide tax increase is only the beginning. Sell and move to Saratoga County. While you still can.

Albany County residents should prepare for a very rough ride while Mr. McCoy employees his executive management skills learned as a part time enlisted soldier in the National Guard and his full time job as a fire fighter. The county will pay dearly for electing a supervisor lacking the education and experience to manage a $500 million budget…………..

When Faced with a 19% property tax increase it is understandable that decision makers will begin to talk about program cuts or elimination, the layoff of employees, and, double digit tax increases.

With all due respect I would suggest that discussion of that sort is NOT a solution to the problem.

Rather, the dialogue should be focused around how to best support the efficient operation of existing programs.

The current situation reminds me a great deal about how conditions were almost 20 years ago. At that time the County was also facing serious fiscal problems and there was a great deal of discussion about employee layoffs and the elimination of programs.

Fortunately, that crisis was overcome because decision makers came to understand that if programs were properly staffed and operated, savings would naturally follow.

Those of us in the social services department began to immediately reduce the spending of over $6 million dollars a year by the implementation of improved operations of our then Home Relief program.

Most County run programs are designed to provide services that will either prevent future costs in other areas of the budget, and/or, immediately save allocated dollars.

I would suggest that county leaders might want to embrace the notion that program design is not failing when costs begin to run out of control.

Rather, it is most likely that it is the operation of the program that is in need of modification.

I am not suggesting that the people who lead or work within the County’s program areas are at fault, It is the means in which they operate and/or the way they are trained to conduct their business that is at the root of the difficulty.

Answers about fixing fiscal problems lie within the body of knowledge held by the employees who work within the various County run programs. It is they that can identify what needs to be done to improve services and control or reduce costs.

They can also inform you if the cuts proposed will cost more than they will save.

For example,

Will closing the Nursing Home increase Medicaid costs in excess of the existing structure?

Will reductions in staff amongst the various services organizations add to costs?

Legislators should consider asking and listing to County employees about what needs to be done to correct spending before they adopt the proposed spending plan now before them for action.

Here goes more fodder to feed on. A Democratic politician in Albany County thinking their office is their kingdom. Appointing self serving people to jobs. If the person is working on his transition team, why not pay him from your campaign fund. As there was no opposition, you should have enough to pay him. Do we need a nursing home, YES. Show these persons the dignity that they deserve. DO not ship them off to another county. Let’s wait an see on McCoy’s decision is on his employment with AFD. Will he retire, be given a leave of absence,or work both jobs. After all, between his military obligation and 3 days a week as a Firefighter. It still leaves one day a week to be county executive.

The whole “shipping our seniors away” business has to stop. For the love of God we are talking Rensselaer or Schenectady County, not Arizona!

No one is suggesting that the old and the poor should be ignored. The question is how do you use finite resources to help them effectively. County government is not an efficient provider of social services, and everyone knows it. The same dollars funding a non-profit which exists for the purpose of care goes much further.

Non-profits should not maintain roads or run sheriff’s departments, and the county should likewise fund but not run social services.

the cuts should be made first with all the political appointments , Albany county and the city needs a 2 party system, its been business as usual for a long time and just take a look on how thats worked , not too good unless youre a cronie

What is the population of ACNH, 200-250. As Elmer pointed out our neighbors will take them in. Are they not county run, do they have the available bed space to take them in. Having not for profit run or take care of them is like opening the door for charter schools. Pay management hundreds of thousands to run an send the bill to the taxpayers. Take in only the ones who cost less to take care of or are less demanding on services. Or maybe we can have one of our politicians open a Care center such as Espada did. Form another Kingdom for the self serving. Local government should be dealing with the sociol services programs in a honest forthcoming manner. Not letting politicians or others take advantage of the systems. Help those who need it, and cannot voice their need. If you where to announce a drastic cut to welfare, heap and other programs. People would be pounding on the doors. The citizens who are in ACNH cannot go an pound on doors. SO lets cut them out of the picture, WRONG.

The Democrats cut NOTHING. Another disgraceful meeting dominated by union criers and more idiotic spending schemes. You need help with cuts? Cut the 39 County “leaders” down to 9. Eliminate the Convention Authority. Less wasted paper and ozone destroying hot air. GOP joke “Chairman” Clarey hasn’t resigned in disgrace yet? Great job with the County Executive and Colonie Supervisor races.

What qualifies an individual to hold any office? Certainly not a law degree, the various legislative bodies are full of them, look where that got us. Some of us continue to confuse education and intelligence. If you take the time to check it out from Einstein to Gates and Jobs, they were many unqualified by education who achieved great success. Eight US Presidents, many governors, Supreme Court Justices, industrialists, inventors and leaders in every quarter have achieved success w/o a college degree. Washington, Lincoln and Rachel Ray. In 40 years of business I’ve seen many totally unqualified individuals touting useless degrees as a mark of their intelligence and fitness for work. Too bad their is no degree in work ethic.
I don’t live in Albany Co. but your new exec has demonstrated qualities that may just make you eat your elitist sarcasm. He has volunteered to serve his country, a dangerous enterprise at any time, Have you? He is a fireman, not a desk jockey, this is no cake walk either. He has been chosen by his neighbors to represent them in the Co. Legislature, and his peers elected him their leader. The opposition party put no one forth to challenge Mr. McCoy, shame on them, no leaders there for sure. The future will be his test. I think he with survive a few anonymous, non combatant, maybe degreed, mudslingers.